Monday, 24 February 2014

Zooming Out

Sometimes I like a closely cropped, very controlled image. There are times when I want to share with you something pretty like a ball of yarn or a new dish and I just need that object to stand perfectly alone without distraction. But today I am feeling mischievous and want to demonstrate that it's not all beautifully lit perfection round here, and I thought it would be fun to show you what it looks like when I zoom out, what is going on around the edges of these photos.

Zooming in: Two gorgeous round balls of alpaca yarn. I wanted to capture the texture of the strands as much as the colour.

Zooming out: Two balls of yarn on a plain white tea towel on the hall floor, because that's just where the light was best that day. The living room was too bright. Good thing no-one knocked at the door.

Zooming in: Three delightfully pretty fairy cakes, complete with girly wrappers and sprinkles. I'm not normally a fan of such feminine colours and patterns but think where fairy cakes are concerned it's acceptable.

Zooming out: That white tea towel is in use again, this time on the one square foot of kitchen worktop that gets any good natural light. Do you see how everything else was, quite literally, pushed out of shot?

Zooming in: Ah, my utterly fabulous birthday pyrex dish. That coral pink! That repeated floral pattern! I wanted the background to be almost invisible so used an old white sheet.

Zooming out: Angus played around me while I borrowed the toy boxes to create a little area for my backdrop.

Zooming in: Birthday present heaven. Lovely colours and it was fun to play with the composition.

Zooming out: That white sheet again, but in the living room this time. Books and baskets pull the corners tight to stop it wrinkling too much and the bright sunlight meant I had to close the curtains - it's not often that's happened lately! The end of the coffee table is cleared as I stood on it to take the photo.

Zooming in: Four prints - some new, some I've had for a while - in four IKEA frames. I'll hang them soon. For now, I just wanted to group and admire them.

Zooming out: Me, in my pyjamas, standing on a chair so I could lean over them as much as possible (while trying not to fall off). And see the glasses on the edge of the table? I hadn't yet put my contacts in, but find my glasses really annoy me when I'm using the camera. It's like I can't get the viewfinder close enough to my eye. Does that happen to anyone else?

So that is what it looks like when I zoom out. I am putting together a little post about photography tips (for what it's worth - I am not a professional, clearly!) as a few people have asked in the past. It's not technical, more tips and tricks. Things which are easy. I'm a bit nervous as I'm painfully aware of my lack of technical knowledge, but I'm enjoying writing it and I'll share more on that soon. Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes and your messages of good luck for John. Really, thank you. It means a very great deal and I think you are all wonderful. Have a great week.

Love it! My photos tend to be in poor light (partly because I'm so impatient and partly because there aren't many areas of good light in my house) and often highlight the clutter in the background. I'm clearly not a naturally tidy person but I think my photography makes me look messier than I am! I look forward to reading and using your tips :-)

I am very much looking forward to this hints and tips post. I think you take really gorgeous photographs,so some insider secrets will be great. It's far too easy to take a nice snap in Cornwall. The light here is fantastic. In my own home however, I am often at a loss. This is a great post init's own right. All that reality. Love it!!Leanne xx

Oh this is exactly what I was talking to a friend about the other day - what happens when you zoom out?! So reassuring that you have left some washing up in the bowl as well! Thanks for the smiles x Jane

Brilliant post! Oddly comforting to know I'm not the only one doing acrobatics to take a pic...or shoving all matter of household stuff out of the shot, though the dishes and toys teeter at the edge, nearly tumbling on my carefully arranged collection of craft...thank you for this! Chrissie x

This is so funny! There's knowing this is what blog-picture-taking looks like, and then there's seeing! I had torn up my whole dining half of my living room working on a new header, then didn't even use any of those pictures, just found some that I liked and threw one together that I'm happy with for now. Thanks for sharing!

Love it! I did the same today to photograph some biscuits - balancing the chopping board close to the window while trying to get a decently lit shot! (Can I please please ask where the top right print is from - it looks just the sort of thing that I want for our living room. It looks a bit like the love child of a Mark Hearld and an Angie Lewin... Ta v much!) x

Must remember some of those tips and tricks. "Spectacles" are the bane of my life, as I have bi-focals and find it hard to look down with them on, so leave them all over the place whilst doing certain things. I've only been wearing some sort since I was 17 and that's a looooong time. Take care.

I would hate for anyone to see what I shove out of the way of my photos, and I cannot imagine what I look like sometimes trying to artfully arrange things to take photos of - my little crochet squares last week for example!! It is good to know that we are all the same and that we shove it all out of the way just the same! xx

What a clever post!!! I loved it, and thanks for the inspiration on getting those great close-up shots. Your birthday presents look lovely...I love all the colors and patterns, and you are right; the pyrex dish is "utterly fabulous"!!! Thanks for a great post...oh, and your house is lovely, by the way...so inviting! :)

Most of the time when I take my food pictures, I think, "Thank God, they can't see the rest of the house." Or "What do the neighbors think I'm doing standing on a chair in my pajamas leaning over one piece of cake?" Thanks for sharing your behind the scenes - the life being lived.

Well that's brought the first laughter of the day out of me. I'm just so pleased that I'm not the only one who walks around the house, looking for the right surface, the best back drop and the most light, in order to capture the perfect image.

How funny is that, I was just stood on my kitchen table taking photos ! Had to take some again as you could see my slippers !I do like seeing how other people take their photos, has come a big part of Blogging to get a good photo....

I love this post, because that is the reality of our lives. We try to make everything so picture perfect all the time, I think we all forget what is just outside of the picture, real life.Hugs,Meredith

Ha ha Gillian what a great post, I think most of us "model" our pictures x I love tacking clear close up photographs and often end up taking them on my washing machine in our little laundry and it gets the best light in the winter! xox thanks for this fun post x

What a great post Gillian!! It's made me laugh and has just shown the reality and the demystification of blogland.... Glad to hear the news about your husband, it must be such a relief...By the way, I love your Orla Kiely pots.....Enjoy the rest of your week, Pati x

I'm always shoving things aside when I'm taking close-up shots and assume most bloggers do the same. I do it because the mess surrounding the object is too distracting, not because I'm trying to hide the fact that my place is a total mess per se, although it is rather comforting actually seeing your zooming-out shots so maybe I'll take some zooming out shots next time too. I have a great lens that blurs all the mess in the background which I'm very fond of too :-)

Gillian, this post is such fun! I too have cropped out such an interesting assortment of everyday sights...including my feet :) Somehow in celebrating my birthday Feb. 17, I missed your last post about your birthday celebration, and your GREAT NEWS about John's new job! Along with others around you, I am celebrating with you! Belatedly, but enthusiastically, Happy Birthday!!! xx

Hi Gillian, it would be great to have a post about camera tips, also maybe a bit about which camera you are using and how you find it. I would like another camera one day, but I don't know which one. I like your pansy picture in the kitchen! also the Brio was so great, still have a big chest of it. It's got to be keeper right. Heather X

This is such a brilliant post. A really good idea and so interesting to see what's going on outside the frame for once! I chimes very well with my thoughts today too, as I was taking pics of my blanket and thinking how the pictures seem to look better than the real life blanket. Photos can do that sometimes. I'd love a post from you about camera tips, I already picked up a couple from this post - like closing the curtains to block too much sun. Why didn't I think of that!

Had great fun reading this post. It's amazing what we can hide and the illusion we can create by 'zooming in'. I go to different rooms in the house depending on the quality of the light and better still outside in natural light if the weather is decent. Look forward to more tips.

Anothe rgreat post Gillian. I love the behind the scenes stuff. And (I'd noot noticed before) I think we've painted our kitchen a similar shade to yours! Looking forward to hearing more tips...I'm only using my phone camera at the moment and they're badly lit and shaky!!:)